Typical reciprocating food slicers have a rotatable, circular or disc-like slicing blade, an adjustable gauge plate for determining the thickness of the slice and a carriage which is mounted on a slide rod within the slicer housing for supporting the food as it is moved back and forth past the cutting edge of the knife during slicing. During operation, a lubricant is applied to the slide rod to allow the carriage to move back and forth in a smooth manner for efficient slicing. A felt material saturated with oil is typically brought into contact with the slide rod and bearings in order to provide such lubrication.
It would be desirable to provide a lubrication system that provides an appropriate, consistent amount of lubricant to the slide rod, and that also provides a method for recycling any excess lubricant. It would also be desirable to provide a lubrication system that provides an appropriate, consistent amount of lubricant to the slide rod, and that also includes a lubricant reservoir located away from the higher temperatures that can be generated in the vicinity of the bearing and slide rod.